http://www.bonsai-nbf.org
The National Bonsai Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1982 to support the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, located at the U.S.
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National Arboretum.
Mission: The National Bonsai Foundation is a section 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established in 1982 to sustain the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. It cooperates with the U. S. National Arboretum by offering financial support and advice to the Museum. This private/public collaboration between the Foundation and the Arboretum enables the Museum to promote the art of bonsai and penjing to visitors through masterpiece displays and educational programs while also fostering intercultural friendship and understanding.
Operating as usual
"The mind is just like a muscle: the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets and the more it can expand." – Idowu Koyenikan
Did your New Year's fitness resolutions include working out your mind? If not, start today on #MindfulnessMonday.
📸Robert Hirzinger @unsplash
Our next edition of #InfluentialBonsaiMasters highlights the history of the loving spirit and innate talent Harry Hirao shared with the world. Hirao co-founded Kofu Bonsai Kai, one of the largest U.S. bonsai clubs, and sat on many bonsai boards across the country, including the National Bonsai Foundation. Read more:
This edition of Influential Bonsai Masters highlights the history of the loving spirit and innate talent Harry Hirao shared with the world. Hirao co-founded Kofu Bonsai Kai, one of the largest U.S. bonsai clubs, and sat on many bonsai boards across the country, including the National Bo
What's better than a sweatshirt? A sweatshirt featuring the evolution of the National Bonsai Foundation logo. If you didn't unwrap one over the holidays, grab your own now (or an NBF bonsai-themed tote, mug or tee!):
Proceeds go to the National Bonsai Foundation to support the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.
Chrysanthemum stone – collected from the Gifu prefecture of Japan and donated to the suiseki collection as part of the 1975 bicentennial gift from Kiyoshi Yanagisawa
It may look like chrysanthemum flowers have been preserved in this stone; however, the "petals" are really crystals that formed before the surrounding mud hardened into rock. This stone is unpolished.
Visitors to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum encounter the enchanting Kato Family Stroll Garden on their way to the Japanese Pavilion. While the pathway is beautiful at all times of the year, it always looks so magical under a dusting of fresh snow.
Enjoy this video of the garden after a recent snowfall in Washington, D.C., captured by NBF Board Member and professional photographer Stephen Voss.
(Courtesy of NBF Board Member and Professional Photographer, Stephen Voss) The Kato Family Stroll Garden is entered from the Upper Courtyard through the H. W...
"There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter." – Rachel Carson
Although spring is on its way, be mindful of the wonders winter brings us each year. #MindfulnessMonday
📸 @stephenvoss
Happy Valentine's Day weekend from NBF and this beautiful bougainvillea bonsai donated to the North American collection in 1990 from Harold M. Harvey (in training since 1985). Even though bougainvillea is a vine, it can be grown as a bonsai by continually pruning the growth. #bonsai #valentine
#ThrowbackThursday: In 2019, the Museum hosted landscape architect Ron Henderson and his stunning and poignant #sakuraorihon exhibit that celebrated the cherry blossom culture in Japan, highlighting Henderson's pilgrimages to visit the country's famous old trees.
As he followed the blossoming cherry trees ("sakura") from south to north Japan, he recorded his experience in folding sketchbooks called "orihon."
The Blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica Glauca Group) featured in this month’s #HistoricalTreeSpotlight was gifted to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum by a power couple well known throughout bonsai and the overarching horticultural circles: Frederic and Ernesta Ballard.
Learn more about them in our latest on the Bonsai Blog:
The Blue Atlas cedar in 2012, pot designed and produced by Sara Rayner
Japanese maple – in training since 1946 and gifted to the Museum's Japanese collection in 1976 by Akiko Matsudaira
Trees with fine twigs, small leaves and spreading roots are good specimen for smaller bonsai. Certain cultivars with these characteristics, like this one, are favorites for creating miniature scenes. What scene do you see here?
Winter weather can be icky, so here's a serene, warm beach scene to inspire your mindfulness practice this week. #MindfulnessMonday
📸Alejandro Piñero Amerio on @unsplash
Caitlin elm – in training since 1988 and donated by Susanne Barrymore in 1990 to the Museum's North American Collection
This forest planting was created from cuttings of a mutant contorted elm developed as a cultivar specifically for use in bonsai.
Our 2020 First Curator's Apprentice Sophia Osorio didn't expect to pursue a career in bonsai.
But now she writes, "The notion that a tree that has experienced so much history can still be alive and flourish with the help of many passionate staff members here at the Museum has made the art of bonsai one of the most inspiring practices I’ve ever been part of."
Read more of her first official First Curator's Apprentice Blog:
“O solitary pine, how many generations of man have you known? Is it because of your great age that the passing winds sing in so clear a tone?” – Prince Ichichara, “ Man’yōshū ” If you had asked me six months ago what career path I would want to pursue in the world of horticu...
Chinese Elm – in training since 1946 and donated by Yee-sun Wu in 1986 to the Chinese collection 🌳
The hollow trunk and gnarled branches of this tree imply survival into old age.
“Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life.” – Marcus Aurelius, second century Roman Emperor
It's Monday. It's the first of the month. There's unlimited potential in the air! #MindfulnessMonday
📸: Hem Poudyal on @unsplash
Tiger-stripe patterned stone – collected from the Setagawa River in Japan and donated to the suiseki collection in 1998 by Hiroshi Mitsuzuka
Striped stones from the Setagawa River are much prized in Japan for their pattern rather than their shape. This stone was a gift for President Bill Clinton when he visited Japan during the Year of the Tiger.
#stones #viewingstones #suiseki #bonsai #Japan
For this edition of Bonsai Around the World, we’re highlighting a garden that is just a hop, skip and a jump north of us: in Canada!
The Jardin botanique de Montréal / Montreal Botanical Garden is home to about 350 bonsai and penjing from North America, Japan, Northern and Southern China, and Vietnam or similarly tropical areas. Read more:
For this edition of Bonsai Around the World , we’re highlighting a garden that is just a hop, skip and a jump north of us: in Canada! The Montreal Botanical Garden , or Jardin Botanique de Montréal, is home to about 350 bonsai and penjing from North America, Japan, Northern and Southern China
For your Wednesday feed: a behind-the-scenes shot of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum with a selection of kusamono (grass thing). These smaller plantings often accompany bonsai on display, but aren’t they so beautiful on their own, too?
Chinese Juniper – North American Collection, in training since 1975 and gifted in 1990 by James & Helen Barrett
This bonsai has been styled to look like a lone tree hit by lightning, causing the top to die. It was a style made popular by bonsai master John Naka.
"Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.” – Eckhart Tolle
Another week of moments to encounter with a mindful approach #MindfulnesMonday
📸 David Kovalenko on @unsplash
The entrance to the National Bonsai & Penjing Musuem’s Chinese Pavilion in colder months 🌳✨
So. You're stressing about taking care of your trees in the winter.
Keep Calm and Read these winter care tips from Curator Michael James: https://bit.ly/39394z6
Bonsai is not limited to any one group or only available for experienced horticulturists. #Bonsai is for everyone, no magic skills required.
From an interview with our 2018 First Curator's Apprentice:
When David Rizwan first saw a bonsai tree while searching online for plants to decorate his apartment, he thought there must be something “magical” about it. “It’s a common misconception that there’s something mysterious there,” Rizwan said of bonsai. “There is a general lack of knowle...
“Kindness is like snow: it beautifies everything it covers.” – Kahlil Gibran
Let mindfulness and kindess operate hand in hand this #MindfulnessMonday.
📸 Chris Lejarazu – @unsplash
Whether it's too snowy outside or you're helping to flatten the curve, we bet you're still yearning to connect with nature indoors. Here are a few ideas, from growing your own food to making a bird feeder:
Tips to stay sane and connect with nature during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bring nature to you to maintain that critical connection.
Repost from @isanbonsai of the Yamaki Pine because we can always use a Peace Tree on our feeds:
“This #pinebonsai is over 390 years old and survived the bombing of Hiroshima. It currently resides at the @nbfbonsai in Washington D.C. An incredible testament of longevity and life. #bonsai #bonsaistyle #bonsaitree #yamakipine #whitepine”
We are grateful to our Board of Directors for their support, ingenuity and bonsai knowledge.
Our spotlight series, The Bonsai Board, highlights their bonsai experience and why they joined NBF. This month's spotlight is on Ross Campbell, who joined NBF in August 2020 and became secretary/treasurer elect later in the year:
At the National Bonsai Foundation, we are grateful to our Board of Directors for their support, ingenuity and bonsai knowledge. Get to know the directors in our spotlight series, The Bonsai Board, highlighting their bonsai experience and why they joined NBF. Read about Board Chair
The bare bones of winter trees at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum ❄️✨🌨 What do your bonsai and penjing look like right now?
"Open the window of your mind. Allow the fresh air, new lights and new truths to enter.” – Amit Ray
This #MindfulnessMonday set the tone for a week of new perspectives and openness.
Photo by Igor Cancarevic on Unsplash
Do you know which tree in the Museum's Chinese collection this trio sits under? Answer below, and tag us if you have your own photo of them!
From all of us at the National Bonsai Foundation: Thank you for your tremendous support in 2020, a year truly like no other.
Because of supporters like you, we met our December fundraising goal—a sum that will be generously matched by our Board of Directors! We look forward to continuing to share the art of bonsai with you this year.
The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum couldn’t house the finest bonsai in the world without a dedicated, talented and knowledgeable leader. In our next installment of Museum Curators, we’re helping you get to know our current curator, Michael James, who is all of those things and more.
The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum couldn’t house the finest bonsai in the world without a dedicated, talented and knowledgeable leader. In our next installment of Museum Curators , we’re helping you get to know our current curator, Michael James, who is all of those things and more. H
"Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it." – Buddha
It's the first #MindfulnessMonday of 2021!! As we welcome a new year, we’re being mindful of the blessings and lessons we gained in 2020.
📸Maria Vojtovicova on @Unsplash
Wishing you peace and tranquility in 2021 and always! Love, NBF ❤️🌳
EXCITING NEWS: The U.S. National Arboretum and National Bonsai Foundation are planning to renovate the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum!! Thanks to a generous donor, we have developed a comprehensive (and frankly, breathtaking) Museum Master Plan, which the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts unanimously approved this fall.
But we need YOUR support to bring this ambitious plan to life. Be a part of something big: Donate TODAY to help us build the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum of tomorrow, so thousands more visitors can experience the wonder of small trees in pots. Donate now: https://bit.ly/3o6r28C
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A captivating #repost from @billangel6 • “Bonsai tree at the National Arboretum in Washington DC. #bonsai #nationalarboretum #bonsaimuseum #bonsaitree #nationalbonsaiandpenjingmuseum”
National Bonsai & Penjing Museum and US National Arboretum staff join forces to repot the world-famous Yamaki Pine – March 2020. Learn more about the process here: https://www.bonsai-nbf.org/blog/2020/4/2/repotting-the-world-famous-yamaki-pine
We hope you had a wonderful Christmas!
Happy first night of Hanukkah from NBF to you!
National Symphony Orchestra performs at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
Have you heard? NBF is launching a new website next week! Click below to watch a sneak peak of our site's updated features and style.
Plucking needles is easy. Simply grasp with tweezers, pull, and repeat ... 1000 times #bonsai #japaneseblackpine #japan #musclememory #capitalbonsai
The Hip-Hop Museum Pop-Up Experience
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